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Apr 5, 2017

A Culture of Noise

GPS waypoint: 10°38'44.1"N 124°22'58.9"E
Location : Camotes Islands, Cebu (province), Philippines

Being Festive
Filipinos embrace a festive culture characterized by music and fanfare. Silence is simply not part of the local culture - it is looked upon as lonely and undesirable. They celebrate fiestas and parties at the drop of a hat. In keeping up with that festive feel, the culture deems it necessary to always have a background music - anywhere and everywhere.

Noise
In Manila, and the rest of the country for that matter, the music is cranked-up to nauseating levels that pervades all sectors - the malls play loud music, the jeeps play loud music, the karaoke bars play it loud, the neighbors play loud music...everywhere you go, you are assaulted by loud blaring noise. You cannot escape it. Add to that the noise of motorbikes with its cut-off mufflers! We're not talking loud music anymore, but noise pollution that taxes the sanity. Now, its widespread contagion reflects something already dysfunctional in the culture.

Camotes Islands
Camotes Islands, as much as I love this place, is perhaps the perfect example. Camotes would have been perfect if not for its excessive noise. So far, given all the places I've traveled around the world, no place tops Camotes for noise - it's one of the reasons I'm leaving Camotes. This is the first time I'm pushed out of a place due to its noise level.

At Baywalk, there are 3 karaoke bars side-by-side of each other playing tunes at full blast. Imagine 3 guys talking, all of them yelling at each other at close range. On weekends, a live band plays at Carlito's Pizza and together with the 3 karaoke bars, it's mind-boggling to be at that center where all that noise converge. Even at Kayla Me where I hang out, it's almost impossible to keep a conversation from all that noise.

When I go to Baywalk early in the morning, the t-shirt guys are already playing loud Bonjovi music. Then the Julie's Bakeshop truck comes along with its looping trademark song on a public address system. When I go to my guesthouse, the karaoke across my room plays blaringly loud music within earshot of the next barangay. Even my construction earmuffs are no match. Even with municipal regulations to limit karaoke until 10pm, my guesthouse played it as late at 12:30am at one time. When my friends went up to Altavista to view a remote land they just bought in one of the peaks, we heard loud music played from a distant house. In Camotes, there is no escape from the noise.

No Karaoke?
Am I against karaoke? Of course not! I know how good it feels to belt out a song. I sing out a tune too every once in a while. What I'm saying is that the noise simply need to be managed. When a visiting Vietnamese friend came to Camotes to see me, while we were at Baywalk on a weekend with all 3 karaoke bars playing and a live band at Carlito's Pizza playing at full blast, he gave me a look that painted bewilderment. But he was polite. He simply uttered that in Vietnam, the karaoke bars are contained indoors where they don't bother the public at large.

Carlito's Pizza Live Band
Am I against live bands in public? NO! I look forward to weekends because of it. Personally, the live band is a good thing. Lolong, the owner, performs a great public service by making the music available to the locals who have no money for beer. But if the 3 karaoke bars play side-by-side with the band, all hell breaks loose. There simply has to be a system in place to manage the sound level.

Ending Thoughts
At the back of my head, I wonder. Is it just me? When I asked the locals if all this noise bothers them, their question was, "What noise?"

--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
YOGA by Gigit | Learn English | Travel like a Nomad | Donation Bank

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Reader Comments:

Outback Greg Australia

Tribal Adventures
(Apr 6, 2017) Now you know why I'm based in Busuanga and not Boracay

Fritz

Travel Parenting
(Apr 5, 2017) yes, very true. In the old days Filipinos sang and played guitar, and nothing was noisy, all dopey quality of heart. Today, its all alcohol and karaoke. The Filipino soul has retreated to where there still are ancient trees, like off-road Mambukal. ..Silence is what I miss most in the modern Philippines. Sometimes I find it in a break between roosters' crows at 3 am, -- or else when frogs sing loudly in strong rain...

Kwanyin Ang
(Apr 5, 2017) NOISIC!

Rachel

(Apr 5, 2017) So true. Even in public vehicles and some business establishments

Camotes Islands, Cebu, Philippines

tourist attractions

Lake Danao Park - inland twin lakes in San Francisco
Santiago Bay Beach - stretch of fine white sand with a cluster of beach resorts
Buho Rock - dive boards perched from a high rock outcropping, Poro
Tulang Diot - white sand beach on a tiny island just 10 minutes by boat from the main Camotes Island
Busay Falls - groomed plunge pool, dirt trail walk with 2 stream crossings, Tudela
Capasanan Spring - crystal clear open spring water source in San Jose, Poro. Free
Hagnaon Spring - clean drinking water coming out of the rocks, dipping pool you might share with carabaos in San Jose, Poro. Free

caves

Timubo Cave - groomed trail inside cave with lights, swimming inside, limited penetration
Bukilat Cave - cathedral-like caverns, top lighting from cave openings, high tide swimming
Holy Crystal Cave - cave formation glitters, human bones, limited penetration
Paraiso Cave

important spots

San Francisco - town center, wet market, municipal hall, eateries, live music, bar, Baywalk
Poro - town center of Poro Municipality, port to Cebu City and Danao
Tudela - town center of Tudela Municipality
Pilar - town center of Pilar in the island of Ponson Island
Consuelo Wharf - port for Danao ships
Poro Port - port for Danao and Cebu City ships

resort hotel

Aladin White Beach Resort and Retirement Investment
beachfront property, swimming pool, modern amenities and facilities
Esperanza, San Francisco, Camotes Island, Cebu, Philippines

Camotes Island FYI / Tips

Camotes Islands is a group of islands composed of 4 municipalities:
1. San Francisco - this is the biggest municipality covering the West major island. Its town center is the busiest with the market, eating places, live music and the Baywalk. The beach resort clusters, however, are concentrated in Santiago Bay, Mangodlong and Esperanza
2. Poro - Poro is on the other big island to the East. It has its own port and the town center is likewise busy
3. Tudela
4. Pilar - this occupies the small north east island
the busy area where most of the social gatherings take place, eating places, is located at the Baywalk area of San Francisco, 30 mins by motorcycle from the Consuelo Port. Travellers usually stay in their resort outside the Baywalk
the resorts in Camotes Island are scattered around the island. There are none around the Baywalk area of San Francisco
perhaps the only downside to Camotes Island is the inescapable deafening sound of karaoke - it is played very loud and it's everywhere. In Baywalk, there are 3 karaoke bars beside each other going full blast all at the same time

Camotes Island Cost Index

(US$1 = Php 49.82 as of Jan 15, 2017)

PHP 100 habal-habal ride from Consuelo Port to San Francisco
PHP 55 Pale Pilsen beer
PHP 10/pax regular fare for habal-habal within San Francisco
PHP 500/tour habal-habal rate for island tour up to 2 pax
PHP 800/tour tricycle rate for island tour up to 4 pax

Cebu City to Camotes Island

via Poro - from Pier One in Cebu City, take the Ocean Jet for Poro, 2 hours, daily trip - 6am and 3pm (0936.823.8762 |0956.270.6610 | 0999.889.9999).
via Consuelo - from Cebu City, take the northbound bus passing through Danao and get off at the Danao Port. At the Port, take a Jomalia Shipping boat for Consuelo (San Francisco, Camotes), P220/pax, a/c, 2 hours, daily trip - 5:30am, 7:00am (special trip), 8:30am, 12:00 noon (express), 2:30pm, 5:30pm and 9:00pm (express, Fri/Sat/Sun only).

Camotes Islands to Cebu City

Poro - Cebu City (fastest and most direct) - go to Poro and take the 8am or 5pm Ocean Jet to Pier One in Cebu City, P380/pax/aircon, 2 hours
Consuelo - Danao - Cebu City - go to Consuelo (San Francisco) and take the Jomalia Shipping boat to Danao, P220/pax, a/c, 2 hours, daily trip - 5:30am, 7:00am (special trip), 8:30am, 12:00 noon (express), 2:30pm, 5:30pm and 9:00pm (express, Fri/Sat/Sun only). From Danao, take the Ceres Bus to Cebu City

Cebu City to Dumaguete, Negros Oriental by Boat

George and Peter Lines - Mon/Thur/Sat/Sun 10pm, (035)225.4337, 0922.557.1023
Oceanjet - via Tagbilaran, daily 6am, dumticketing@oceanjet.net, 0918.898.2188
Cokaliong - Mon/Tue/Wed/Thur/Fri/Sat 7pm, Sun 12pm, 6 hours, (035)225.3599

Danao to Camotes Island

via Consuelo - at the Danao Port, take a Jomalia Shipping boat for Consuelo (San Francisco, Camotes), P220/pax, a/c, 2 hours, daily trip - 5:30am, 7:00am (special trip), 8:30am, 12:00 noon (express), 2:30pm, 5:30pm and 9:00pm (express, Fri/Sat/Sun only).
via Poro - at the Danao Port, take the Super Shuttle Ferry for Poro (Camotes), P?/pax, 3 hours, daily trip - 9:00am and 5:00pm (0936.823.8762 |0956.270.6610 | 0999.889.9999).

Camotes Island to Danao

via Consuelo - go to Consuelo (San Francisco) and take the Jomalia Shipping boat to Danao, P220/pax, a/c, 2 hours, daily trip - 5:30am, 7:00am (special trip), 8:30am, 12:00 noon (express), 2:30pm, 5:30pm and 9:00pm (express, Fri/Sat/Sun only).
via Poro - take the Super Shuttle Ferry in Poro (Camotes) for the Danao Port, P?/pax, 3 hours, daily trip - 5:00am and 1:00pm (0936.823.8762 |0956.270.6610 | 0999.889.9999).

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